Russia says Paralympics ban is ‘political’

Russia slammed the decision to ban its athletes from the Paralympic Games on Tuesday, saying the move was "more political than legal."

The International Paralympic Committee suspended the Russian Paralympic Committee on August 7 because of evidence of state-sponsored doping, and Moscow appealed the decision.

On Tuesday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the ban on all Russian Paralympic competitors.

Vitaly Mutko, Russia's sports minister, condemned the move, telling the TASS news agency that the decision “is more political than legal. There was no reason for rejection but it happened.”

The IPC said it was satisfied with the ruling and will give the 267 slots that had been won by Russian athletes to competitors from other nations. The Paralympic Games get underway in Rio on September 7.

The International Olympic Committee chose not to hand Russia a blanket ban from the Olympic Games because of the doping scandal, ignoring a recommendation from the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Instead, each sport's governing body was given the power to decide if Russian competitors were allowed to compete. Russia won 56 medals in Rio, finishing in fourth place in the medal table.

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Louis Anthes

I sympathize with the Russian athletes who are being punished as a class to indulge the self-righteous American sports communities, who use “sobriety” for religious ends, preaching “purity” and salvation, while coaching competition and patriotism.